Et Tu, Brute? - The 99th Hunger Games
by Shibuya Luna
Summary: For ninety-nine years the Hunger Games have been going on, and they show no sign of stopping. With a whole new group of tributes ready for slaughter, who will make it out with some semblance of humanity left? Not that there's much humanity to go around in a world where killing has become a spectacle. [OPEN SYOT]
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hello, Shibuya here with a new SYOT! Set in an AU where the rebellion never transpired, things are plugging along as they have for the past 99 years in Panem. Unfortunate, but what can you do?

Tribute submissions are currently open until the end of March - or until I get enough tributes. The form can be found on my profile! Please PM the form to me after you finish it. You're allowed to submit up to two tributes! More rules can be found on my profile as well.

* * *

 **Lark Austen, Avox, age 27**

If you asked Lark, the Hunger Games were far past the point of ever ending. Any chance the Districts had at rebelling successfully was gone. Because now the Games were essential to Panem's world. If they changed the calendar so it centered around the Games, she wouldn't be surprised.

And she realized this not very long ago. She had been passing by the bedroom door of President Sable's daughter when she caught part of a conversation the little girl was having with a friend.

 _"Do you think you'd ever want to marry a victor?" the friend asked. "I've heard it happens!"_

 _"What? No, of course not!" was Cassia Sable's reply. "Even if he won, he's still from one of the Districts. And everybody knows they smell weird - even the victors."_

 _The two then giggled, causing Lark to wince. Their laughter was shrill. How could they hold such frivolous discussions, as if the scarred winners of the Hunger Games were normal celebrities? She crept closer to the door when the two settled down, wanting to know what else they had to say. She was curious what the kids in the Capitol thought of the Games._

 _"I wanna marry the boy who won last year," the daughter's friend continued. "You remember him, right? Virgil from District Two?"_

 _"Oh, I remember him," Cassia said. She sounded playfully bitter. "He's the one who killed my favorite girl off!"_

 _"Well, she had it coming. Maris wasn't nearly as strong as he was. She didn't even make it to the Feast!"_

 _"And whose fault is that?"_

 _"Her own?"_

 _"No, Virgil's!"_

 _More laughter._

 _Lark's hands had formed fists by now, and her face was turning red. Despite years of being an Avox, the Capitol's ignorance still caught her off guard every so often. And it was usually when a Capitol child expressed joy and excitement when it came to the Hunger Games. After all, it wasn't the kids' faults they found the event so thrilling. Their parents were the ones who instilled that in them._

 _She sighed. It was a shame, but there was nothing she could do about it. So with that, Lark turned away from the door and padded off._

Yes, if you asked her, she'd say there was no hope for the Districts. Perhaps there used to be a time when they had a chance, but by now it was too late. The spectacle that was the Hunger Games had snowballed into something too great for anyone to stop.

Not that she could say anything about it. Having no way to speak ensured she'd stay silent forever.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this tiny filler chapter. I promise chapters actually featuring the tributes will be longer. That being said, Lark will be a returning character, so you'll get to learn more about her personality and backstory over time.

I hope to see your tributes soon and may the odds be ever in your favor!


	2. District One: Showtime

**A/N:** Shibuya here again with District 1's Reaping! There are still some spots available if you wish to submit a tribute. I'd love to not have to make any filler tributes.

The Reapings will be from only one person's POV, the other person's POV happening during the Pre-Games festivities. That way things don't get too repetitive.

* * *

 **Anais Marie Licorne-Fraise, District 1 Female, age 18**

Despite sitting in an auxiliary meeting room, the unpleasant smell of sweat from the main gymnasium greeted Anais. She wrinkled her nose, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Really, would it kill the others to wear some deodorant? Or at least clean the place? This was the one day they had off from training, so why didn't they take the time to spray some air freshener?

"Anais, are you okay?" the girl seated beside her whispered. "You're looking a bit sick."

Anais looked over at her, trying not to appear annoyed the girl had the audacity to interrupt the trainer speaking. Still, it'd be inconsiderate to not reply.

"What? Ah, no, it must've just been the burnt toast I had for break-fast," she said back with a soft giggle.

Which, by some terrible stroke of luck, the trainer overheard. He was currently giving a speech on the protocol of what to do if Reaped - something that certainly didn't apply to Anais. It was her year to volunteer, after all. The year she'd been waiting for since she could remember. In fact, she had daydreamed about it too. And the reality certainly didn't live up to par - in no part of her fantasy had she pictured sitting around in the meeting room while they went over some dumb rules.

"Miss Anais, is something funny?" the trainer asked. "I know it's your year, but that doesn't mean you don't have to pay attention. After Perri breaking down at last year's Reaping, we don't need another mishap."

Anais resisted the urge to roll her eyes. As if anyone like Peridot Montague could steal her spotlight. Perri's meltdown upon getting Reaped was just for attention. And her plan worked - it was said she got more of a following than that year's volunteer.

"I think we'll be okay," she said, wearing a demure smile. "After all, I'm the one vol-un-teer-ing this year. So whoever's Reaped has nothing to worry about."

A girl to her left raised her hand.

"Question for Anais, sir!" she said before he could give the okay. She wiggled in her seat to look over at her. The girl couldn't have been more than thirteen, based on her tiny build and starry-eyed look. "Can you give us a preview of your volunteer speech? Pretty please?"

Ah, now that was something she cared about. Anais's smile turned genuine. But when she moved to stand up, the trainer gave her an stern look. It was obvious he didn't want her to derail them, even though she was no doubt more important than whatever pointless protocol they had to discuss. So instead of reciting what she'd say upon volunteering, she only shook her head.

"You'll have to wait and see, sor-ry!"

A shame, really, but she didn't want to test the man's patience any further. She supposed she'd just have to wow that girl and everyone else when the time came.

And eventually it did. After the meeting was adjourned, Anais headed home to shower and prepare for the Reaping. Her parents 'oohed' and 'aahed' at the colorful floral dress she had picked out for the occasion. When her mom started crying, she felt the warm feeling of pride well up inside her heart. It was time to make her parents proud.

By the time she arrived in the square in front of the Justice Building, a long line had formed in front of the census table. She sighed, shuffling to the back. It was a shame she had to wait, even though it was her year to represent District One.

The documentation process took what seemed like years, and by the time she got to the front her exasperation was evident. She gave the Peacekeeper a tight-lipped smile as they pricked her finger and got her blood sample, before she hurried off to join her friends.

"It took you long enough, Anais Marie," Merry teased as Anais joined her in the area with the other eighteen-year-old girls. "They've already put the Reaping bowls up. I wonder if whoever's picked will throw as big a fit as Peridot Montague did."

"Mr. Vyce held a lec-ture on that today," she replied. "Instead of a pep talk, we were informed the proper way to react to being Reaped. It's a shame she ruined it for me too. I was ex-pect-ing a party…. Or a cake at the very least."

She pouted, which prompted Merry to laugh. Her friend then leaned in close, studying Anais. She was silent for a minute, and then:

"Did you do your makeup yourself? It looks cute." She straightened up, attention redirected to the stage. "Mm, looks like they're about to begin. We have a new escort this year, don't we? She's so cute."

Anais brought a hand to her cheek after Merry looked away, flattered by the compliment. She didn't get an opportunity to say before she had moved on, but she _had_ done her makeup on her own. It was rare she got a remark from someone about it too - especially from somebody as fashion-oriented as Merry.

Eventually she looked to the stage as well. The new escort was dressed in pastel pink from head to toe, her stark white hair up in a bun. She looked young and cute, but didn't fit into Anais's original fantasy of how her Reaping would go. Her ideal escort would be someone refined and elegant. But adorable was better than sleazy, like how the escort from when she was younger acted.

As she watched the escort interact with the mentors and mayor, she felt her heart begin to flutter. At some point she could've sworn the female mentor gesture to her as if pointing her out. By the time the national anthem began playing, her heart was racing. However, she refused to believe it was from anything other than excitement. Future victors didn't get nervous!

Every so often Merry or another girl in her section would look her way. As soon as she noticed they were sneaking glances at her, her deadpan expression turned into a small smile. She had to look good not just for them, but for the cameras. That being said, her smile faded away when the escort took the stage.

"My name is Vi Piper, and I'm honored to be District One's escort from here on out!" the woman said, her voice high and sing-song. "I wish both of our lovely tributes luck this year. Now, shall we pick our dear young woman first?"

She trotted over to the female tribute Reaping bowl, dipping her hand inside and pulling out a slip of paper. Anais held her breath despite knowing this name was of no importance.

"Alouette Vernon!" Vi announced.

The girl from this morning - the one who asked to hear her speech - broke away from the crowd. She practically ran onstage. Her eyes were sparkling just as they had in the meeting room earlier. Anais's eyes crinkled in delight. At least it was somebody who had listened to that protocol speech and wouldn't cause a scene.

"Ooh, what a happy young girl!" the escort cooed, patting Alouette's head. "You look ready to go off to the Games yourself! Now, I wonder… does anybody want to volunteer for her?"

Everyone shifted where they stood. Some of the girls beside her glanced Anais's way. Her heart skipped a beat when Merry nudged her, and slowly she raised her hand.

The others stepped aside as Anais ducked into the aisle, then climbed up onstage. The moment from her dreams was actually happening. She felt as if she was in a dream then as well, moving slowly as she walked over to Vi Piper and Alouette Vernon. But when Vi touched her hand, the spell broke.

It dawned on Anais she was now onstage, volunteering for the Hunger Games, and she smiled. So when Vi asked what her name was, Anais leaned towards the microphone.

"I'm Anais Marie Licorne-Fraise, age eighteen, and I'm going to win this year's Hun-ger Games," she said, staring right into the camera.

Vi clapped her hands, ushering Alouette away. She then shook Anais's hand.

"Well, aren't you dear, Anais Marie!" she said. "You know, you look like you're a victor already."

For the first time since she arrived at the Reaping, Anais felt calm. She giggled lightly and replied, "That's because I am."

She shook more hands, then took her spot by off to the side. Clasping her hands in front of her, a cute smile on her face, she watched as Vi went over to the Reaping bowl for the male tributes.

"And now for the man of the hour!" she said.

Anais watched as Vi pulled a name from the bowl. From what she could recall, a boy named Jovanny was this year's male volunteer. They had classes together, though he never really stood out much other than being a favorite to the trainers. She had heard rumors that he was only the selected volunteer because he was the nephew of the head trainer.

"Zeus Holiday!" Vi called, scanning the crowd.

From out of the fifteen-year-olds section came a tall, tough-looking boy. Anais smiled at him politely. She still felt at ease. Despite disillusions here and there, things were still going like a dream. She shook his hand, then watched as Vi called for volunteers.

Similar to how the other girls did to her, a few boys nudged Jovanny. Anais narrowed her eyes, noticing he looked terrified.

"Any volunteers?" Vi asked again, looking confused.

Was he making a scene, just how Perri did a year ago? Anais didn't take her eyes off the supposed volunteer. This was _her_ day. She dropped her hands to her sides, tilting her head to the side as her smile grew darker. He was going to ruin this for her, wasn't he?

"Going once, going-"

And then, from somewhere among the seventeen-year-olds, a boy appeared. He walked briskly towards the stage, smiling as if he had been the chosen volunteer that year.

Her jaw dropped as he ascended onto the stage and shook hands with Vi. The escort looked pleased somebody had volunteered, though it didn't take a genius to notice everyone else was thoroughly unpleased.

"And who might this young man be?" she asked.

It was a question Anais couldn't answer either. She recognized him as the boy who was always targeted by the others during training. Was this his way of getting back at the bullies? If so, why'd he have to do it this year? Her hands balled into fists and she bit the inside of her cheek. This boy was single-handedly ruining what could've been her ideal Reaping scenario. If nobody were watching, she'd be throwing a fit.

"Zealous Dvoma," he said, still grinning.

"Well, isn't that a nice name!" was the escort's response. Her cutesy voice was suddenly grating. "Are you excited to be this year's lovely volunteer?"

"Sure am."

Anais watched as Zeus was sent back down, then turned her attention back to Zealous as he approached her. Her stare was cold despite her otherwise sweet expression, and she made sure to meet his relaxed handshake with a strong one of her own.

And then, turning out to face the crowd who had witnessed the demise of her once perfect Reaping, she smiled. She let Vi Piper take her hand and raise it up as the woman announced their names.

"Presenting Zealous Dvoma and Anais Marie Licorne-Fraise, District One's dearest tributes for the Ninety-Ninth Hunger Games!"

However, as soon as she was in the Justice Building, she collapsed on the couch. Her parents were ushered in, both looking delighted. Anais put a hand over her eyes to shield out the bright light as she sighed melodramatically.

"Honey, we're so proud of you," her father said, sitting down beside her.

Her mother sat down next to him, all smiles as well. She leaned over to pat Anais's leg.

"Are you okay, Anais?" she asked. "I thought you'd be happier. After all, you're about to follow in our footsteps. Can you believe each of us will have our own house after this year?"

They laughed, which caused Anais cracked a smile. Slowly she moved her hand away from her eyes and straightened up in her seat.

"I'm hap-py," she said, her smile fading. "I just thought it would've gone a bit different."

"You mean your Reaping?" her father asked.

She nodded, saying nothing. It was taking most of her willpower not to throw a fit.

"Sweetie, you should be pleased," he said. "That Zealous boy isn't nearly as big a threat as the boy who was supposed to volunteer. So you've got nothing to worry about."

Her mother nodded along, causing Anais to sigh again.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, bottom lip jutting out in a pout. But a moment later, she piped up: "But he to-tal-ly stole the show, didn't he? He wasn't even supposed to vol-un-teer. It's my year, so it's no fair!"

She stomped her foot, before leaning back onto the couch, After sulking in silence for a few minutes as her parents tried to console her, she finally shook her head.

"No, Mother, Father, it's okay," she said, having found resolve. "I'll still be the victor. I'll still win. Even if my Reaping wasn't special, I'll at least make my victory special. I'll be coming home soon, o-kay?"

"That's my girl," her father said, beaming.

"You'll make us so proud," her mother said, tearing up.

When they said that, she could've sworn she felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier. After all, she couldn't just try to make them proud - she _had_ to.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you to my friends Laney and Isabel (who don't have accounts on here but really need them) for Anais and Zealous! I can't do the next Reaping chapter until I get the D2 male, so if anyone wants to submit him (or other tributes, for that matter), take a look at my profile.

And tell me, what do you think of Anais and Zealous?


	3. District Two: Secrets

**A/N:** Hi, sorry for the delay! Some IRL stuff came up. But now that everything's settled down, I can resume writing. I'll do my best to power through these Reapings, since they can be pretty boring to wait around for.

Also, something that's been concerning me are the reviews I've gotten. I absolutely love reviews so please keep reviewing, for starters. But more importantly, tone of reviews is essential. It's totally fine to not be fond of a character, but people put a lot of effort and energy into these tributes. You can express your dislike without totally bashing a character, y'know?

Reapings can be hard to review because they're mostly character-centric instead of action-centric, so it tends to be the time and place to give your initial opinion on characters. However, please do your best to sound nice when wording things.

Sorry if I sound patronizing, but it's really discouraging to see people hate on characters others have worked hard to make. I get really upset when people hate characters I've submitted and I've talked to people who seem to feel the same way. Even if you're not supposed to take it personally, we all do to some extent.

 **TL;DR:** People worked hard on these tributes so please be considerate in your reviews.

Anyway, heavy topic aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Nova Sting, District 2 Female, age 17**

The hushed voices coming from outside the door alerted Nova Sting that her friends had arrived at the gymnasium. She hadn't been expecting them to show up, nor did she particularly want their company. Nevertheless, she figured it'd be worth her time to find out what they were doing here. She haphazardly threw her whip off to the side, figuring someone else would come along and take care of it. After all, she had more important matters to attend to.

She walked over to the door, swinging it open right in front of her little group. Dennis had a dumb look on his face (as per usual), clearly caught off-guard by her opening the door before he could.

"Hey, guys," she said, grinning. "Are you here to escort me to the Reaping? Hah, I'm flattered!"

There was no hint of malice in her kind smile or singsong voice, though the glint in her brown eyes said otherwise. Not that any of the four kids before her were looking at her face. Instead they were all looking at the ground or off to the side. How pathetic… were they really that scared of her?

She shouldered past them, letting the door slam shut behind her. And then she turned to them and continued, "So really, what's up? Are you just gonna stand there and look like dejected puppies?"

Mila cleared her throat and finally met Nova's gaze. She softened her look on instinct, trying to look more curious than annoyed.

"Well," Mila began, "We were talking for a bit while waiting for you, and we decided something."

"Oh?" Nova replied, raising an eyebrow. "There's something you talked about without me? I hope you can make it quick. I have to get home to prepare for my Reaping. Speaking of which, thanks again for overdoing it, Aria."

She shot her oldest friend a sly smile. Had Aria not 'broken her arm,' she would've been volunteering instead of Nova. And she looked away almost immediately, moving her arm as if ashamed to be wearing the cast her arm was wrapped in.

"Anyway," Mila quickly continued, "We were hoping you would want a token from us. So you'd remember us."

 _Like I'd want to remember you,_ Nova thought, but she nodded. She'd probably throw it out as soon as she was on the train. She had no use for some dumb trinket in the arena, especially from these losers.

"Sounds great!" she said. "I'd be honored."

Mila nudged Dennis, who yelped. Realization quickly passed across his face and he stuck his hand in his pocket to rummage around. Eventually a silver snake ring materialized. Mila plucked it from his hand and presented it to Nova herself.

"Hope you like it. We all pitched in some money to buy it," she said. She cracked a grin, but it was a blatantly sadistic one.

Nova couldn't help but make the connection. Her friends were dissing her, weren't they? This was their way of getting back at her. Still, she accepted it and slipped it on her finger. At least it was pretty. If buying her things was their way of saying they hated her, she couldn't say it irritated her.

"Thanks!" she replied, holding it up to the sunlight. "You know how I love snakes. In fact, I've owned a few myself over the years."

"Where'd you get pet snakes?" Dennis asked as Josie laughed nervously, Aria smiled, and Mila narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, haha, don't mind me. I was just making a joke."

She laughed lightly, lowering her hand. As she did, the ring sparkled in the light. She'd definitely have to toss this when she had a chance. Though she did like how she got the opportunity to make a snide remark in return.

"But look at the time," Nova continued before any of the others could say something dumb. "I have to go get ready! I'll see you all later. Make sure to save a spot for me, okay?"

Josie smiled reluctantly and nodded, while Mila went back to averting her gaze. Only Aria and Dennis were the ones to say goodbye. But she could feel all four pairs of eyes on her back as she walked off towards her house.

Once home and showered, Nova began getting ready. Her brown hair - usually up in a French braid - was down and slightly curled, courtesy of her sister Astrid. And currently her twin was doing her own makeup, sitting at a vanity as she did so.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go with an orange lip, Nova?" Astrid asked. "Orange is what's in in the Capitol, I hear."

"How do you know what's 'in' there?" Nova replied. "We live in District Two."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Because I actually pay attention to the world around me instead of training all day."

Nova scoffed, throwing a pillow at her. It was all just sisterly teasing, of course. Well… sort of. Similarly to how she knew Astrid couldn't care less about the Games, her sister knew she couldn't care more.

The pillow came flying back her way a moment later, which she batted out of the air with ease. She proceeded to jump to her feet and stride over to where Astrid sat. She snatched a dark red lipstick from the vanity and applied it. It complemented her dark, freckled skin well. Satisfied, she tossed the tube back onto the tabletop.

"I'm going early," she said. "So I'll see you there, 'kay? I asked my friends to make room for me, so there'll be room for you too."

She was already halfway out the door to Astrid's room when she heard her sister call out, "See you later, Nova!"

Despite being an hour early, she only had a few minutes to spare by the time she checked in and found her friends. They seemed less than pleased to see her, given by their tight-lipped smiles and their minimal small talk.

Luckily all small talk was silenced when the anthem began playing. By this time Astrid had arrived, sliding into place beside Nova. The mayor eventually gave his speech, and then the Reaping began.

The escort, Matilda Barr, was wearing white and orange - the same shade of orange Astrid had recommended her. She grinned and waved at the crowd as they cheered. Nova bounced up and down on her toes as Matilda talked, her excitement growing as she walked over to the female tribute Reaping bowl.

"And without further ado… our female tribute is…" she said, then paused dramatically, "Vera Moore!"

A girl from the sixteen-year-olds section pushed her way forward. Nova paid her no mind, more invested in deciding on what she'd say when she got onstage.

"Any volunteers?" Matilda called out.

Nova raised her hand, grinning confidently as she broke away from the crowd. Her combat boots thudded against the stone steps of the Justice Building as she climbed onstage. She made sure to hold her head high as she strided over to Matilda and took the microphone.

"I'm Nova Sting," she announced once the initial clapping had died down. "I'm seventeen and more than prepared enough to bring District Two a victory in this year's Hunger Games."

"Well, aren't you confident!" Matilda said, shaking her hand. "Best of luck to you, Miss Sting!"

The crowd cheered again as she waved and stepped off to the side to wait for the male tribute to be called.

"Now… our male tribute!" the escort said. She stuck an orange manicured hand into the Reaping bowl, and then continued, "Would Nero Core come up, please?"

From amongst the section of eighteen-year-olds, somebody shouted, "Yeah!"

Nova covered her mouth to keep from laughing as a boy emerged from the crowd. He seemed to be glowing. She smiled at him politely, recognizing him as this year's chosen volunteer. So how did he manage to get his name pulled? It was impressive luck, to say the least. And less so impressive and more so appalling was his lack of manners.

Nero ascended the stage and took his place beside Nova. She held out a hand, waiting for him to shake it. Instead he looked straight ahead, a huge smile on his his face.

"Any volunteers?" Matilda asked, to no avail. There was nothing but silence from the crowd. "Going once… going twice…?"

She left the words hanging in the air for a minute before clapping her hands together.

"Well," she said, "Looks like we have our two tributes! Please wish Nova Sting and Nero Core good luck!"

Slowly Nova dropped her hand to her side, glaring at him as she was whisked away backstage.

Needless to say, she was in a terrible mood when her friends walked in. Her family had already visited, Astrid being the only one to tear up amongst them. But now it was her friends standing before her. She absentmindedly twisted the snake ring they gave her back and forth on her finger, before an idea occurred to her.

"Nova-" Josie began, only for her to cut her off.

"Look," Nova began, "there are some things I need to get off my chest before I go. First off, Dennis… you're so dumb, but you deserve to know the truth. Your darling girlfriend Mila? She's been spending a lot of time with that head trainer, hasn't she?"

She smiled sweetly as she asked. Dennis rubbed the back of his neck, then nodded. And out of the corner of her eye, she could see a look of shock, then fury pass across Mila's face.

"It's because she's cheating on you, silly!" she said, her voice mockingly high-pitched. "She's been sleeping with him. Kinda sad she's never told you, huh? Oh, and Josie? It's also kinda sad you never told Mila about that jewelry you stole."

Dennis turned to stare at Mila as Mila turned to stare at Josie. All three of them looked hurt and betrayed. Nova smiled wildly. The embarrassment she felt from Nero not shaking her hand was gone, replaced by a primal sense of power.

"But hey, at least Aria's in the clear, right?" she asked, then laughed cruelly. "Or so you thought! Sucks your steroid use caught up with you, Aria. And I know your arm isn't even broken!"

By this time they were all silent, eyes wide and jaws dropped.

"It's a shame you were all lying to each other and acting like nobody knew. But I'm the snake, right? Haha, well, thanks for the ring! I'll see you when I'm done with the Games."

She knocked on the door, signaling she was ready to leave. When the Peacekeepers opened it, she heard her 'friends' behind her erupt.

"You were really cheating on me?"

"That doesn't matter!"

"Uh, it does, actually!"

"No! And Josie, you stole from me?"

"You weren't supposed to know! And at least I'm not as bad as Aria, since I'm not a druggie!"

"Hey, that's rude!"

"And so is cheating."

"Just shut up, Dennis!"

Nova nodded to the Peacekeepers, and over the din behind her, said, "Yeah, I'm ready. Might as well go before they notice me!"

And the door swung shut.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's a wrap! Nova belongs to iridescenteverdeen and Nero belongs to lionkingfactsguy3. Iridescent, I hope it's okay that I said her friends gave her the snake ring.

Tell me what you think of Nero and Nova!


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